Finders Keepers
by galileo81
Summary: What if Veronica never existed, What if Lincoln fell in love with the Doctor. What if Michael had met someone and abandoned her. This is my first fan fic. Please review and enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

Michael was bored he had been sitting in this yuppie lounge all night drinking scotch with a few guys from work annoyed by the fact that there seemed to be a lawyer's convention going on in the bar. A bunch of men in 3-piece navy suits yucking it up. His buddies were beginning to annoy him too. He really just wanted to drink and be left alone. Earlier that day he saw Linc who had lost his keys for the third time that month. Michael didn't understand why his brother constantly burdened him. It was clear that things had changed between them. He was into someone for a lot of money and it just didn't make sense. He had gotten out, why couldn't Linc do the same.

His friend Larry kept trying to bait him, "Come on man Vice President Reynolds or Betty from HR." Michael rolled his eyes at the Let's Make a Deal game that Larry insisted on playing and purposefully stared at him and said, "I pick door number 3." That is when Michael saw her sitting by herself drinking a glass of red wine, Michael stood up turned to Larry and said "Better yet I pick her."


	2. Chapter 2

Michael walked over to her and she looked up at him and met his stare with a smirk on her face like she had just swallowed a bird. She was dressed more casually than most in this bar and wore a black skirt that showed of her legs and a red top showing the right amount of skin, a departure from the rest of the white and blue in the joint. She had long dangly earrings that sparkled and a washer, yes a washer, tied with a black thread around her neck.

Michael motioned to the empty chair across from her and asked, "Is this seat taken?"

She responded, "By all means" and gestured to the chair. Then she started to laugh. It immediately flustered Michael, why was she laughing? Michael was about to tell her his name, but she railroaded right over him and said in one breath, "I was wondering how long it would take you to ditch your buddies over there you seemed so annoyed by their chatter. I am Gabriel by the way, what's your name?" Gabriel cocked her head to the side waiting for a response.

Michael wondered if he had made a mistake coming over, she seemed out of place and a little loud, but inwardly he was like what the hell and extended his hand and said, "I'm Michael"

"Nice to meet you, Michael " Gabriel said slowly deliberately.

"So you were watching me ha?" Michael said.

Gabriel smiled mischievously, "I didn't realize it was a crime, actually I am pretty sure in Law School I never learned that staring was a felony" Gabriel can't believe that she admitted to staring at him.

Michael just groaned to himself she's a lawyer great! Before he could say anything, Gabriel jumped in and said, "Now don't give me that look just because I told you I was a lawyer I have the right to be innocent before proven guilty. I am here with someone so don't feel like you have to stay if you are going to take that attitude" At that moment Gabriel waved to a guy standing at a bar table with a bunch of men who caught her waving at him and smiled back at her.

Gabriel stared at him waiting for him to say something, finally he said. " So give me a reason to not lump you in with the rest of these shmos"

Gabriel smiled back and said "Whoa wait a minute….you are hanging out in this bar too my friend, anyway I am just here for moral support. My friend Jackson over there didn't want to come alone." Gabriel's gaze went downword as she dipped her finger into her wine and started to trace the outside of the glass. I am actually not a practicing attorney; I am a disability rights and healthcare. Jackson and I are friends from Law School; he works for Dewey downtown and is the corporate honcho. I just came for the free drinks."

Michael smiled and said, "So you are a do-gooder huh?"

"Yeah I guess my goal in life is to work in a place that always needed a new coat of paint and no secretary, but I don't mind going to work it puts a smile on my face usually." Gabriel replied. "What do you do?

"I am structural engineer I work for Gansevoort developers. Mainly on urban development type stuff. "

"Ah you build the pretty glass buildings most of these people live in ha?" Gabriel motioned to the people around the bar.

Michael looked at her devilish grin and said, "Now don't judge me I thought you said something about innocent before proven guilty."

"Okay I won't I promise, actually we, my organization I mean has been trying to get people involved in the Stateway Gardens rebuild for quite sometime. You know get that place up to code so those who are in need of a little bit of help can get to their apartments. Do you know anyone who could help us out say, like a structural engineer?" Gabriel said very deliberately.

Michael laughed, this girl was really forward and for the next 5 minutes she plowed right into the exact problems that they had in bringing some of the older project housing up to code. He was amazed at how serious she seemed about all of this, strangely he was intrigued by it all. He started to talk to her about some of the side work he had been doing in the area of building apartments for people with disabilities. The conversation to an outsider probably seemed boring almost geeky, but both of them were actually enjoying talking about this stuff.

Slowly the conversation shifted to her the upcoming Thanksgiving holidays. She had started to ask about his family, but Michael quickly interjected and asked about hers.

"I have a younger brother and sister, one is a doctor the other an investment banker."

"Your parents must love you guys, a lawyer a doctor and I-banker, how cute" Michael chuckled almost rudely.

"Yes my parents hit the payload, though they are not so happy that their oldest is not the right type of lawyer, you know with the job at a firm on partner track. My parents don't find much solace in what I do" Gabriel replied wistfully.

"Anyway its just my Mom now, my Father died a while back so at least he doesn't have to be so disappointed in me anymore, that's just Mom's job."

Michael felt bad he was sarcastic and was about to ask her more about her work when she quickly asked him about his family again. This time he had no choice but to respond. "I have a brother, his name is Lincoln. We aren't very close though." Michael wondered why he said that to her, they were close Michael loved him. Lincoln took care of him, but lately they had drifted Michael couldn't handle it. He wanted to take what he had said back, he knew after talking to Gabriel that she might even understand, but he didn't. He just nursed his drink and got quiet.

At that moment Gabriel's friend Jackson walked over and asked if she was ready to go, Gabriel looked at Michael and he knew that she was waiting for some sort of sign that it she might want to say. Michael just stared and Gabriel put out her hand and said, "Well it was nice to meet you Michael, goodbye."

Gabriel got up and walked out with Jackson. Michael couldn't understand what he was feeling. Thinking about Lincoln had put him in a bad mood. He cursed at himself for letting it ruin the fact that he actually liked talking to Gabriel. A short while later he got up and rejoined his buddies at the bar.


End file.
